Around the League 22: But how will it work next season?

[Chrispy]

Pens make an odd trade to move Hornqvist for Matheson. I don't think Hornqvist was super valuable either, and pretty risky, but I wouldn't want to touch that Matheson contract.

This is the type of deal that usually works out for Rutherford somehow.
I find it hard to see how in this case, though.

 

[Svechhammer]

I'm just sitting here thinking about the Pens icing a defense that has more than $8m tied up in Michael Matheson and Jack Johnson.

For the next 3 years.

 

[WreckingCrew]

I don't know about you, but I'm enjoying watching JR turn the Pens from a promising team set up to transition from the Crosby years to contention for the next 10 to an absolute clusterf*** of mediocre players on horrendous contracts.

You ****ing LOVE to see it!!!!!!!! By all accounts, Florida fans wanted to dump him for a used jock strap, so getting an at least useful player in Horny out of it is a win for them...I just hope they didn't do something stupid like retain on that contract, I want Shittsburgh stuck with a full MM & JJ contract!! Best thing to do with JR is fire him immediately after, or 1 year after your last Cup, keeping him longer is a recipe for disaster

 

[Big Daddy Cane]

I could understand a swap if the term was close. Matheson is $.425 mil cheaper on the cap and perhaps more importantly, $1.8 mil cheaper in real salary next season.

Taking on an additional 3 years of term is hard to believe, though. In each of those 3 extra years, Matheson will be making $6.5 mil in cash with a $2.5 mil signing bonus and carry an NTC (Link). That's the definition of high risk, but without the reward to balance it out.

 

[GIN ANTONIC]

I’m just shocked that JR is given free reign to make all of these bizarro moves. Like I get that he got them back to back cups but ever since then 90% of the moves he’s made are pretty indefensible and are hamstringing the Pens future cap structure as well as depleting their assets. That team is gonna be scorched earth in two years.

 

[Nikishin Go Boom]

This is a great move for the rest of the Metro, I mean Pens.

think we could get Florida to eat 1.5-2 million of Hornqvist for Dzingel+?

Maybe Hornqvist doesn’t want to go to Florida. We jump in to take on Hornqvist at a lower AAV. Florida gets rid of Matheson and only carries 9 million total in cap space to do it. Also they get a good trade piece at the deadline.

 

[Chrispy]

Time to bring out a classic:

 

[GoldiFox]

I’m just shocked that JR is given free reign to make all of these bizarro moves. Like I get that he got them back to back cups but ever since then 90% of the moves he’s made are pretty indefensible and are hamstringing the Pens future cap structure as well as depleting their assets. That team is gonna be scorched earth in two years.

Who knows, maybe feast and famine is the way to go in today's NHL. Empty the cupboards completely while you are in your window. Once that window ends sit back and pick in the top-5 a few times in a row instead of languishing in the 10-15 range.

 

[Svechhammer]

Who knows, maybe feast and famine is the way to go in today's NHL. Empty the cupboards completely while you are in your window. Once that window ends sit back and pick in the top-5 a few times in a row instead of languishing in the 10-15 range.

While that may be the intention, as long as they have Crosby and Malkin, they're never going to truly tank. But this is hamstringing them so badly, its going to make it almost a certainty they'll wallow in that 10-15 range until they retire.

 

[DaveG]

Who knows, maybe feast and famine is the way to go in today's NHL. Empty the cupboards completely while you are in your window. Once that window ends sit back and pick in the top-5 a few times in a row instead of languishing in the 10-15 range.

What could ever go wrong with that? (Glances at Buffalo and Edmonton)... Oh

 

[DaveG]

According to Friedman, the holdup is if one of the contracts is insured (likely Horny)

 

[Brock Anton]

Watching JR destroy another franchise in real-time is just oddly satisfying to watch. Add on the fact that it's the Penguins and ... it's incredible.

 

[Blueline Bomber]

Reading their board is like taking a time machine to the last few years of JR's tenure here. The guy knows how to add to a good team to turn them into Cup contenders, but asking him to do much of anything else is just asking for trouble.

 

[Chrispy]

Reading their board is like taking a time machine to the last few years of JR's tenure here. The guy knows how to add to a good team to turn them into Cup contenders, but asking him to do much of anything else is just asking for trouble.

I think reading a history of Rutherford moves is like reading a Dan Brown novel. You can find a way to rationalize each individual step, even if some are a little out of the box. Dumping Hornqvist for a 26 year old defenseman is a roll of the dice on Matheson being able to help the D for a number of years at a lower-end UFA price.

But when you get to the end and look back at where you started, you find yourself wondering "How the **** did we get HERE?"

 

[WreckingCrew]

Better watch out, Bjork gonna be a 20G/40PT guy in the near future for BOS

 

[Boom Boom Apathy]

I don't know about you, but I'm enjoying watching JR turn the Pens from a promising team set up to transition from the Crosby years to contention for the next 10 to an absolute clusterf*** of mediocre players on horrendous contracts.

There was and is no transition from Crosby and Malkin to anything but a rebuild. I don’t think all of JRs moves are good, but he was brought in to try and win as many championships as possible while Crosby and Malkin still had ability. After that it’s blow it up and hope for the next Crosby/Malkin.

 

[A Star is Burns]

There was and is no transition from Crosby and Malkin to anything but a rebuild. I don’t think all of JRs moves are good, but he was brought in to try and win as many championships as possible while Crosby and Malkin still had ability. After that it’s blow it up and hope for the next Crosby/Malkin.

Yes, and while some of the moves are slightly baffling, they will still be in playoff contention unless/until Crosby and Malkin have a big decline or retire. I like seeing them making seemingly bad moves, but there is way too much dancing on the grave of a team that at worst will probably be a bubble team.

 

[Svechhammer]

There was and is no transition from Crosby and Malkin to anything but a rebuild. I don’t think all of JRs moves are good, but he was brought in to try and win as many championships as possible while Crosby and Malkin still had ability. After that it’s blow it up and hope for the next Crosby/Malkin.

And you don't think that Crosby and Malkin still have ability? Seems a little early for the 'blow it up' stage

 

[Boom Boom Apathy]

And you don't think that Crosby and Malkin still have ability? Seems a little early for the 'blow it up' stage

I do think they have ability. I disagree he blowing it up. He’s sacrificing the future for now (the Kapanen move for a first for example) . Trying to fix his terrible defense. Etc

Not saying his moves are all good ones, but I understand what he’s trying to do.

 

[ONO94]

You ****ing LOVE to see it!!!!!!!! By all accounts, Florida fans wanted to dump him for a used jock strap, so getting an at least useful player in Horny out of it is a win for them...I just hope they didn't do something stupid like retain on that contract, I want Shittsburgh stuck with a full MM & JJ contract!! Best thing to do with JR is fire him immediately after, or 1 year after your last Cup, keeping him longer is a recipe for disaster

Wait--are we missing the obvious and JR is actually Stan Lee in disguise? I can't wait to see the incoming trades for Brent Burns, Drew Doughty and Connor Carrick

 

[WreckingCrew]

Wait--are we missing the obvious and JR is actually Stan Lee in disguise? I can't wait to see the incoming trades for Brent Burns, Drew Doughty and Connor Carrick

Don't forget Andreas Athanasiou, Steve Stamkos, Mitch Marner (can he have multiple MMs? M&Ms?), Teuvo Teravainen, Tomas Tatar (the TTs), Filip Forsberg, Nino Neenerneener, & Brock Boeser!!

 

[AD Skinner]

 

[To Be Determined]

now i want the like button to change to the Excelsior! button.

 

[Canes]

Watching JR tear down the Pens isn't that satisfying to me since his wheeling and dealing, throwing crap at a wall to see what sticks style of GMing is mostly what got them back to back Cups after spinning their wheels for half a decade. As much as I dislike him for how he left the franchise he still deserves some credit for that, even if he started at 3rd base with Crosby and Malkin. The decision to hire him always came with the very real chance it could blow up spectacularly, but it's only starting to go that way after those aforementioned Cups and several years of solid play from the Pens. And now he's going to set them up for another generational talent or two once he leaves.

 

[A Star is Burns]

Pens/Panthers trade finally official. Pens also had to take on the last year of Sceviour, presumably as a bit of a make up for the insurance issues. Possibly even more questionable now.